Sunday, October 29, 2023

Use of Tu and Você in Brazilian Portuguese

In Brazilian Portuguese the second personal singular pronoun you has two forms. One is tu and the other is você. Most speakers use only one of the two.

The word você is used on all official documents, but tu is common in the south and in the north. It is also used by the working class of Rio de Janeiro. In cities such as Sao Paulo and Brasilia, você is common.

Among speakers who use both tu and você, tu is intimate and você is formal. For example, tu is used with family and friends, but você is used with bosses and the elderly.

In Brazilian Portuguese, você is more common than tu, but both words are used. However, all speakers use only one form for the second personal plural, vocês. The difference between tu and você in Brazilian Portuguese is regional. The form você dominates in central Brazil, but tu dominates in the south and the north.


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